Punta Cana holidays

The 50 miles of beaches in Punta Cana have a celebrity following. Singers, former presidents, and fashion designers have all been spotted on the region’s sands. Facilities like watersports and restaurants are thick on the ground. Plus, the sunloungers on the beach are the best seats in the Dominican Republic’s house for watching the sunset. Just so you know, the beaches on this stretch of coastline sometimes experience increased levels of seaweed – called sargassum. It’s influenced by the weather and ocean currents. If your hotel’s affected, the staff will do everything they can to clear it.

The name of Bavaro Beach often crops up in conversations concerning the best beaches in the world. This runway of sugar-white sand offers a different watersport for every day of the week. Plus, it’s backed by some of the best hotels in the Dominican Republic.

Punta Cana doesn’t hold its cards close to its chest when it comes to beaches. Most of the stretches of sand in this region are fairly well known. One of the most left-alone beaches, however, is Cabezo de Toro. It’s a 20-minute drive from Bavaro, and most people don’t make the journey because they’re content with the sand on their doorstep.

Bermudez, Brugal, and Barcelo are the top rum brands in the Dominican Republic and you don’t have to look hard if you want to buy a bottle. The beach vendors sell it from their sand-top stalls on El Cortecito and Punta Cana Beach. For tee-total gifts, try the area of Uvero Alto Beach between Hotel Sirens and Dreams. There are a few souvenir shops here selling art work and hand-made jewellery.

Larimar is a rare blue stone that’s unique to the Dominican Republic. It looks like a cross between turquoise and topaz and you can buy it in the jewellery shops in Altos de Chavon and in the Plaza Bavaro shopping area in Punta Cana. Some of the top hotels have their own jewellers, too, including the Club Hotel Riu Bambu in Bavaro.

You could blow the kids’ inheritance in one spree at the Casa de Campo Marina near Bayahibe, an hour’s drive from Bavaro. The boutiques here are part of a luxury lifestyle complex and the rails are dripping with designer labels like Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana and Prada. Closer to home, a lot of the All Inclusive hotels in Bavaro have their own clothing boutiques, including the Riu Palace Punta Cana.

If you’re staying in an All Inclusive hotel, the entertainment options are under your nose. Almost every property will put on an evening show of dancing, comedy or live music. If you like the look of what’s on at a neighbouring hotel, they’ll usually charge you a small amount for admission. If you want to venture further afield, there are a few bars in Bavaro, around Ave. Espana.

Most hotels have a disco in their entertainment arsenal. The Arieto in the Caribe Club Princess Resort in Punta Cana is one of the most talked about, thanks to its Indian artefact decorations. Pacha in the Riu resort comes highly recommended, too. This place puts on live merengue and bachata bands on a regular basis. Outside of the hotels, the Friusa area of Bavaro is the place to go. One of the nightclubs here is inside a natural cave.

This is the Dominican Republic’s national dish. Locals tend to eat it for lunch, which is the main meal of the day. The dish is a combination of rice, red beans, stewed goat and fried plantains. Dominican goats graze on oregano, so the meat in this dish has a deep flavour, like it’s been marinated.

This recipe has been handed down from the Dominican Republic’s indigenous Taino population. The dish is a crispy flatbread, made with yucca flour. It’s a versatile food-stuff and can be eaten for breakfast with coffee, baked and served with soup at lunch, or served as an accompaniment to hot chocolate at supper.

These crispy fritters are ten-a-penny in the Dominican Republic. Street vendors sell them as lunch on the go and restaurants serve them up as side dishes. They’re made by mixing grated yucca with batter and they’re deep fried.

Forget cornflakes, the big breakfast in the Dominican Republic is mangu. The dish is savoury and, in its rawest form, it’s made from mashed plantains and sautéed onions. It’s given the extra-factor by adding scrambled eggs, cooked meat and white cheese.

This is the Dominican Republic’s moonshine. It’s made by allowing rum, red wine and honey to soak in a bottle with tree bark and herbs. Like vintage wine, it tastes better the longer it’s left to stew. The end product is served in shot glasses and it tastes a little bit like port.